Conclusion
The One-Hundred-Seventh and final chapter of the Elfen Lied manga series, and by extension the final chapter of Volume Twelve. Time has passed since the death of Lucy. Nozomi, who has recovered long enough to speak again, comments to Yuka that it definitely is spring, while Mayu urges Nana to be careful as she retiles the roof, almost not reacting to her arm falling off. Yuka proclaims the newly repaired Maple House to be ready to welcome home Kouta. Kouta then begins a narrative of events in the world. Four months after Lucy's death, the World Health Organization forbade any human births due to the outbreak of births of horned children, who would kill humans as they grew older. Arakawa developed the vaccine needed to prevent these births, but seemed unhappy with the fame and recognition she once craved so badly. Between the people killed by the horned children and the lack of new human births, humankind actually faced extinction before the widespread inoculations of the vaccine, but once they were in place, the birth ban would be lifted soon, albeit with Earth's population decreased by a large number for some time to come. Kouta and Yuka finally become closer and begin to repair the wounds of the past. In a small fragment of the underground grotto that survived the sinking of the island, Anna Kakuzawa emerges alive and well, her monstrous oracle form having only been a shell her father crafted to make her a living computer. Anna hears a sound, and covers her post-emergence nudity at someone's approach. It is the Agent, also alive, having had the attacking Clone Diclonii washed away by the flooding, wandering for days on end---and revealed as a woman. She and Anna argue lightly, until the Agent asks Anna how they can get out of there. Anna at first believes she knows, but then realizes that her knowledge as a living computer is gone now, much to her relief. Thrown off by the young girl's behavior, the Agent makes the practical but repulsive suggestion that they eat the monster shell of Anna's oracle form. At the Maple House, Mayu wonders where Wanta is. The small dog has wandered outside, and passes Nana at a series of grave markers, saying how she is not lonely despite her papa not being there, since she has all her friends. We are led to believe it is Kurama who died, but in fact he is right behind Nana, and is merely going to the cemetery to give a proper burial to Mariko's ashes. They are finally living together (whether this is in their own home or if Kurama is staying at the Maple House is never made clear), and Kurama promises that they will be together once he cleans up some loose ends from the situation that has dominated their lives. Nana begs him to become his wife and make babies with him. As he begins to answer her with what it looks like to be a dismissal of her childish request, Wanta leaves them without hearing the rest of his answer. Wanta then passes by a flyer for an art gallery featuring Aiko Takada's mother and comes upon Mayu, still cleaning up the beach months after the supposed death of Bando, and wondering where her dog has gone. While she is proud of her clean-up, she amusedly imagines that Bando would not praise her for it, only to hear her imitation of his words repeated by Bando himself, apparently with even more artificial parts than before, telling her again that he could never die. Lovingly and overwhelmed with joy, Mayu flings her arms around Bando and begins to cry in happiness as Wanta turns and heads for home. The last day of the summer festival arrives, with Nozomi and Yuka dealing with the heat, and Mayu putting up with Nana mocking her for being so hungry, she eats cotton--not understanding about cotton candy. Kouta excuses himself to Yuka and leaves them, saying he must visit an old friend. When he gets to the promise spot Lucy/Nyu spoke of, he realizes she won't be there, since he killed her by himself, but thinks that maybe that promise was meant for next year. For the next ten years on that same day, he returns and waits for her to keep her promise to be waiting there for him. One year, he arrives in the company of a little girl who greatly resembles a young Yuka. She is Kouta's daughter Nyuu, to whom he explains the reason he comes there, and that he used to play with his friend there when they were children. Nyuu explains that she plays there too, with a pair of twins who are her friends, arguing the obvious point with Kouta when he says she shouldn't play there. They stay for a time, but when her papa's friend doesn't come, Nyuu suggests they get back before her Mama is angry at them for being too late. Looking over by the stone that marks the first Nyu's puppy's grave, the little girl notes a jar that has surfaced, containing the jade stone Kouta once gave her as a gift, and a letter that thanks him for the stone, confesses her desire to marry him, and reveals her true name - Kaede - at long last. Knowing for certain that their early friendship and love was genuine and that her heart was human after all, Kouta weeps for having found his real friend at last. Little Nyuu then sees her two friends approach them, one of whom is named Kaede. The twin girls tell Kouta that they have been waiting to meet someone there, their very special and important friend. We see them only partially, and it is impossible to tell if they are humans or Diclonii, but it is apparent from the joy on Kouta's face that they are connected to Lucy and Nyu, possibly even their reincarnations. The Beginning and Ending of Story Arc 18 : The Life After 'Trivia' *The ambiguous identity of the twins is the series' last great mystery. *By both their facial expressions and body language, the twins seem to have the same characteristics as Lucy and Nyuu had when they lived, Lucy, serious and circumspect, and Nyuu, easygoing and extroverted. It can well fit the idea of reincarnation of the soul. It is acceptable that a soul can reincarnate in two new bodies. Category:Series Information